Appropriate interaction between cat and kitten?

[melissa]

We are going into week 3 of the introduction of our 13 week old kitten to our 1 year old resident cat. We’ve successfully navigated scent transfer, site swapping, visual meeting through a mesh gate and have now begun brief face to face meetings. It’s going well, our 1 year old is super excited to play with the kitten, he chirps and tries to get the kitten to chase him. After 3-4 minutes of mutual chasing and tackling it seems the older cat starts to get a bit over stimulated and gets a bit rough with the kitten. No hissing, growling or claws or anything just more aggressive tackling and pinning the kitten down. How do I proceed with this to make the interactions more level? I’ve tried mutual play with each cat separately but they have no interest in anything but each other when they are together. When I separate them and put the kitten back in his base camp room they cry for each other on either side of the door. Any tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[heatherwillard0614]

If i am picturing this correctly, it sounds like they are fine.. It honestly sounds as if the resident kitty being older is teaching the kitten when enough is enough.. (maybe kitten is getting a little rough or its just the resident kitty is getting to the point of being done but the kitten isnt picking up on the signals. This is usually what the momma cat would be doing to teach kitten..
I think this because you said there's no real aggression (hissing growling claws) and they continue wanting to be around each other when you separate them.. Ireally feel as if resident cats is just teaching the kitten the ropes.
I would continue letting them be together. Just keep an eye on them if resident cat shows real signs of aggression then separate them.
This is my opinion and I am going off what I feel you are explaining. This being said it all sounds completely normal

 

[melissa]

That’s great to hear! It’s been a long time since I’ve had to introduce cats to each other and I worry so much about every little thing. They have to spend the rest of their lives together and I’m desperate to do this right to ensure success. Thank you for the reply

 

[heatherwillard0614]

That’s great to hear! It’s been a long time since I’ve had to introduce cats to each other and I worry so much about every little thing. They have to spend the rest of their lives together and I’m desperate to do this right to ensure success. Thank you for the reply

You're more than welcome. Like I said it does sound like the resident is just teaching the little tyke a thing or two lol
Just keep an eye on them to make sure it doesn't get to the point of aggression. It doesn't sound like it will but this is just what I am picturing by your description.
I hope all goes well!!
Please post updates.
Pictures are always a plus too lol

 

[melissa]

 

[melissa]

Sulley and big brother Sebastian

 

[cmshap]

I agree with all that's been said. You can tell when cats really want to get aggressive. One thing I've learned is that they much prefer to give out warning signs vs. actually fighting. And those warning signs can be used as teaching mechanisms.

I happened to write this in another thread very recently:

"I live in an apartment building where cats are the only allowed pets, and lots of tenants have cats. A neighbor and I sometimes let our cats out in the hallway for supervised socialization.

They enjoy it now, always, but at first, there was a similar situation. Hissing, growling, even a little swatting... then a 180-degree turn into bunting and rubbing. Now they are best friends."

 

[heatherwillard0614]

View attachment 455805View attachment 455806

Sully and Sebastian are both so cute!!!!!

 

[Alldara]

They are so cute!
Males can get a bit rough with kittens, so I sometimes had to interrupt with just moving them apart for a bit. I never moved to separate rooms, just take apart and say "gentle".

But be ready for lots.of rough-housing and chasing! It's super normal.

Playtime

 

[heatherwillard0614]

They are so cute!
Males can get a bit rough with kittens, so I sometimes had to interrupt with just moving them apart for a bit. I never moved to separate rooms, just take apart and say "gentle".

But be ready for lots.of rough-housing and chasing! It's super normal.

Playtime

I tried to play that and it won't play this is what showed up
I was looking forward to seeing playing kitties lol

 

[melissa]

The chasing is pretty much non stop between these two. Both of them initiate it pretty equally but they are never just relaxed with each other. Hopefully this will settle as they get more used to each other. It’s really warm in our area right now and Sebastian actually got overheated and was panting a bit with a red tongue. I separated them to let them both cool off. How would I know if the panting was him feeling overheated or just stressed out with the kitten?

 

[Alldara]

The chasing is pretty much non stop between these two. Both of them initiate it pretty equally but they are never just relaxed with each other. Hopefully this will settle as they get more used to each other. It’s really warm in our area right now and Sebastian actually got overheated and was panting a bit with a red tongue. I separated them to let them both cool off. How would I know if the panting was him feeling overheated or just stressed out with the kitten?

That's normal at first. It will calm down and they'll get in to a routine of play.

There's no way to know for sure. But lots likely heat. Either way with panting it's good to let them calm down.

Keep a close eye on the kitten's hydration. They can get heat stroke easily. Are you feeding wet food?

You can also give them some KMR (kitten meal replacement). If it's really hot, it can help keep them hydrated.

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite)%20of%20water%20a%20day.



you can give them some ice cubes to play with or in their water.

do not wet them though. Studies have shown that wetting your cat or dog when it's hot can actually increase their internal body temperature (wetting them with a cloth or towel, not taking them swimming which is different).

ive also wrapped ice packs in towels and lain them on the floor. This is great. They can choose to lay nearby the coolness.

 

[Alldara]

I tried to play that and it won't play this is what showed up
I was looking forward to seeing playing kitties lol

Oh dear! I'm not sure. It opens fine for me....

 

[melissa]

That's normal at first. It will calm down and they'll get in to a routine of play.

There's no way to know for sure. But lots likely heat. Either way with panting it's good to let them calm down.

Keep a close eye on the kitten's hydration. They can get heat stroke easily. Are you feeding wet food?

You can also give them some KMR (kitten meal replacement). If it's really hot, it can help keep them hydrated.

Tips To Increase Your Cat’s Water Intake - TheCatSite)%20of%20water%20a%20day.



you can give them some ice cubes to play with or in their water.

do not wet them though. Studies have shown that wetting your cat or dog when it's hot can actually increase their internal body temperature (wetting them with a cloth or towel, not taking them swimming which is different).

ive also wrapped ice packs in towels and lain them on the floor. This is great. They can choose to lay nearby the coolness.

 

[melissa]

Yes we feed only wet food, and I mix a little warm water in the kittens food to help with his hydration too. Sebastian likes a little chicken bone broth on his which I would think helps with hydration too. KMR is a good idea I hadn’t thought of thank you! I’ll pick some up asap. I’m also going to order a fountain for them soon to entice them to drink more. I also like the idea of the cooling mat. We have ceiling fans going at all times, and windows open for air circulation but I think it’s time to look into a heat pump for AC purposes.

 

[Shawna87]

Girl I completely feel you. About five months ago I adopted a kitten and my three year old resident cat did this all the time! When it finally calmed down and then a small kitten found its way at my house and I went through it all over again. It’s totally normal. It could also be that the resident cat is letting the kitten know he’s the alpha. My older cat constantly bit the younger ones neck to let him know that. I sorta just had to let them figure it out as long as they weren’t hurting each other. It takes a little while but they do figure it out and it’ll slow down and be mainly just play soon! Also they are both absolutely adorable!! my youngest is also a tabby!! How precious!

 

[melissa]

I’m just worried that they chase each other to the point of overheating- I’ve never seen that before, it was quite scary The kitten is so manic, he never relaxes. I’ve had a lot of kittens in my life but never one this crazy. It’s causing my one year old kitty to over exert himself. I’m only able to keep them together for short times if this is the result and I’m so anxious for everyone to be together and not in separate rooms

 

[Alldara]

It was honestly like that with Magnus and Calcifer. We would put Calcifer to bed at night because they just wouldn't stop.

When we introduced Ghost, same thing over again. And Ghost kept panting from the heat and fatigue. But if we put him in his room he kept playing on his own.

 

[cmshap]

The kitten is so manic, he never relaxes. I’ve had a lot of kittens in my life but never one this crazy. It’s causing my one year old kitty to over exert himself.

I've read a lot of threads on this forum without commenting, just for my own curiosity. I've seen threads talking about this sort of situation a bunch of times.

I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. But hydration is the most important thing in these scenarios. And they always seem to resolve over time (as in, the manic kitten starts settling down).

There are lots of threads about hydration, water fountains, etc. But you are a more experienced cat person than I am, by the sound of your posts. In MY case, a fountain has not been best for my particular cat, but in many other cases they encourage other cats to drink more.

 

[AbbysMom]

I tried to play that and it won't play this is what showed up

You may want to check the settings on your computer. It's working fine for me.